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Andrei Vasilevskiy
| birth_place = Tyumen, Russia | draft = 19th overall | draft_team = Tampa Bay Lightning | draft_year = 2012 | career_start = 2010 | career_end = }} Andrei Vasilevskiy (born Andrei Andreyevich Vasilevskiy on July 25, 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing Career Junior Playing Career Andrei was originally selected by Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the first round, 7th overall, of the 2011 KHL Junior Draft. He was selected 19th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. On May 6, 2014, he was signed by the Lightning to a three-year, entry-level contract. Professional Playing Career On September 27, 2014, Andrei was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. On December 15, 2014, he was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week. In the previous week, Andrei allowed just one goal on 56 shots faced in two games, which was good for a 0.50 goals against average (GAA) and a .982 save percentage. He had a 29-save shutout against the Springfield Falcons, which snapped their franchise-record 11-game winning streak. In the next game, Andrei made 29 saves in a 4–1 victory over the Hershey Bears. He has compiled a record of 8–3–3 in 14 appearances with Syracuse this season, with a 2.34 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts. On January 2, 2015, he was named CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December, posting a 4–0–1 record with a 1.17 GAA and a .962 save percentage. He is the first Syracuse goaltender to win the award since Karl Goehring was honored in March of 2008. On December 16, 2014, Andrei was recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He then played and started later that night in his NHL debut, a 3–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. He also accomplished another feat that night by becoming the first NHL goaltender to ever wear the number 88. He recorded his first NHL shutout on March 3, 2015, over the Buffalo Sabres in a 28-save performance. Andrei's first playoff win came on June 6, 2015, when he replaced starting goaltender Ben Bishop twice during the third period of Game 2 of the Finals; he thus became the first goalie in 24 years to win a playoff Final in relief and the first to earn his first career playoff win in relief in the Final since Lester Patrick in 1928. On September 3, 2015, Andrei had successful surgery to remove a blood clot from near his left collarbone and to treat a type of Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He was expected to return to the ice in 2 to 3 months. On October 21, 2015, Andrei was cleared to come off of his blood thinner medication, allowing him to return to practice. On November 1, 2015, the Lightning recalled him from his conditioning stint with the Crunch where he made 56 of 58 saves in two wins. Andrei made his return to the NHL that same night, in a 4–3 Lightning victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Career Statistics International Play In winning the 2014 IIHF World Championship with the Russian senior team, Andrei was awarded the Order of Honour on 27 May 2014. On March 2, 2016, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation named him to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Andrei is being joined by Lightning teammates Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Kucherov. Accolades Personal Life Andrei's father, Andrei Vasilevski was also a goaltender who competed in the Russian Superleague as a member of Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Category:1994 births Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players Category:Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Category:Russian ice hockey goaltenders Category:Syracuse Crunch players